10 Ways Wrestlers Proved Their Gimmicks Outside WWE

Wrestling gimmicks, by their very nature, are often unrealistic.

The literal definition of the word gimmick is "a trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity or trade". It's all smoke and mirrors then - these men and women prancing around on wrasslin' telly aren't actually anything like the characters they portray week-to-week, right?

Sometimes, they are.

Some of the best personas fans have seen were backed up by a surprising sense of realism. This is true for gimmicks based on reality to begin with, and for those that somehow came true after the fact. It's been said before, but it's worth saying again: WWE stars should be able to back up at least one key characteristic, especially if they plan to have any sort of long-term credibility with fans.

That goes a long way, but how do wrestlers prove they've got something in common with their TV characterisation? They live the gimmick outside company walls - that's how. Everyone here did exactly that. They demonstrated skills closely aligned with WWE fiction by doing so, and proved they were more in tune with their roles than some might think...

This guy wrote the book on it.

Stories about Ric Flair's wild ways have become stuff of legend, but the man himself now seems to regret his carefree, largely selfish lifestyle. Ric's partying personality was the real deal though - it wasn't so much a gimmick as an excuse to get leathered and live it up.

Anyone who went out drinking with the 'Nature Boy' either called it a night because they couldn't hang, or can barely remember much beyond the first few cocktails. The parties were bonkers, the drinks flowed and the nights blurred into one. That was just how Flair lived life on the road in his prime (and even well after it).

Partying and excess were key parts of his wrestling gimmick for generations too. WWE laughed off Flair's overindulgence as "Ric being Ric" in later years, and didn't shy away from encouraging his champagne-soaked celebrations on TV.